Fasting Serum IGFBP-1 as a Marker of Insulin Resistance in Diverse School Age Groups

IntroductionThe known markers of insulin resistance in obese children are well studied. However, they require serial measurements and complicated calculations. The objective is to study IGFBP-1 and its relation with other known risk measures.Materials and MethodsThe study included 98 New York City school students of diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds (57 males and 41 females), 11–15 years of age. Subjects were enrolled in a cross-sectional study, and anthropometric measures were collected. They underwent fasting intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT), and glucose, insulin, lipids, IGFBP-1, adiponectin and inflammatory markers were collected.ResultsThe subjects were stratified into 3 groups based upon the BMI Z-score. Out of all the subjects, 65.3% were in the group with a BMI Z-score ConclusionIGFBP-1 in children can identify the presence of insulin resistance in the group with BMI 1 to 2 SDS, even before the known markers of insulin resistance such as elevated triglycerides and even before decreased HDL and adiponectin levels are identified.